Two questions have followed us in Matthew: Why is God’s revelation of himself in Jesus veiled, and, why can’t people entrust themselves to Jesus? The answer in Matthew is that some see Jesus as a hope while others see him … Read more
Category: Matthew
Matthew 20.1-16. The First becomes The Last
If we interpret Jesus’ teaching about service to mean we are to become the butler, the gardener and the dish-hand of the people in our lives then we have misunderstood him. In fact, we may be serving ourselves and our … Read more
Matthew 19.1-30. Commitment
Jesus opens up the topics of sex, power and money, topics that were as difficult to speak about when he addressed them as they are for us today. His solution is not to proclaim our rights in these areas but … Read more
Matthew 18.1-20. Church discipline
According to Jesus, God is angry and severe with those who cause his dependent people to stumble in wrong or to give up trust in him. God is gentle beyond reason with those who know they need his help. There … Read more
Matthew 17.1-13. Shine
Matthew’s gospel teaches us much about what enhances or prevents our knowledge of God. In Matthew’s account of the transfiguration we find an experience of God that terrifies and confirms. Like the day of judgment, it is unavoidable and demands … Read more
Matthew 16.1-28. Time to decide
We, like people before us, change God’s word to suit us and that makes us hypocrites. Liberalism, like the legalism of other times, is dull because it only teaches us what we already know, what we already want to believe, … Read more
Matthew 15.1-28. Who is clean?
Traditions can be good and wise in defending truths that matter. They can be bad in substituting themselves for the truths they were first designed to protect. They can be out-right ugly when they contradict, bury or poison the truth … Read more